Liechtenstein

The German-speaking Principality of Liechtenstein is affluent and homogeneous. The per capita income of $25,000 makes Liechtenstein the 40th richest country in the world, Economic indicators demonstrate the health of the economy, which is growing at a rate of 11 percent. Both inflation (1 percent) and unemployment (1.3 percent) are well under control. This prosperity is due in large part to the low tax base that attracts companies from around the world. In fact, Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with more registered businesses than people. Nearly a third of income is generated by so-called letterbox companies that have only a nominal physical presence in the country. Of 29,500 individuals in the work force, 13,900 regularly commute from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany to work in Liechtenstein. No interest is charged on housing loans, making housing more affordable throughout the country. Many social indicators are unavailable for Liechtenstein, but the standard of living is equivalent of that in other European countries.

Health insurance is mandatory in Liechtenstein, but residents have a wide choice of health care providers. The elderly, the disabled, and survivors are covered through social insurance and a mandatory occupational pension system. Workers and employers contribute to the social security fund, and those contributions are supplemented by government subsidies. The Old Age, Survivor, and Disability Institute is charged with administering the program. The government is responsible for one-fifth of the total budget on health. There are 64 physicians and 26 dentists who serve the population of 33,986 people. Only one hospital exists, and many Liechtensteiners seek medical attention in other European countries.

The population enjoys a life expectancy of 79.68 years, and females generally outlive males by more than seven years. A hundred percent of Liechtensteiners over the age of ten are able to read and write. Nearly 90 percent of Liechtenstein children complete primary school, and 70.2 percent of young people are enrolled in school at the secondary level. The women's movement in Liechtenstein has aroused great interest in the role of males in family life, and the government encourages employers to create more part-time positions for men to give them more time with their families.

The Office of Gender Equality and the project group Images of Man focuses on the physical and psychological health of both sexes. Women give birth in Liechtenstein at a rate of 1.51 children each. More than three-fourths of the population is Roman Catholic; however in 2005 voters vetoed a church-led referendum that would have made abortion and all methods of artificial birth control illegal. Liechtensteiners also upheld their right to sign living wills to prevent their being kept alive only through medical technology.

Between 2000 and 2004, infant mortality dropped from 5.3 to 4.4 deaths per 1,000 live births. Current infant mortality is reported at 4.74 deaths per 1,000 live births. Male infants (6.24 deaths per 1,000 live births) are almost twice as likely as female infants (3.04) to die. No HIV/AIDS prevalence rates are available for Liechtenstein, but incidences are low. Preventive health care is an important element of the health system in Liechtenstein, and a regular prevention schedule is published with recommendations for checkups at periodic intervals beginning at birth and continuing into old age.

...